Leon was the beloved oldest child of Laura and Tony Sidari, both Air Force veterans and practicing physicians. Leon was often described by those who knew him as an “old soul,” given his love for puzzles, early interest in writing and spelling, inquisitive nature, and patience beyond his years. He adored cats and constantly carried around his favorite stuffed animal, “Boo”-- a black cat that Leon named after a character from his favorite Halloween book. Those who knew Leon could not help but love his beautiful smile and witty nature. Leon enjoyed playing soccer, building blanket forts, skipping stones at the lake, designing train track mazes, visiting local coffee shops for hot chocolate, and caring for his younger brothers. Leon’s favorite holiday was Christmas.
Despite having no history of medical problems prior to the start of his illness, Leon died just 48-hours after showing symptoms of sickness. He died as a result of a type of bacterial pneumonia that has been well-established by the medical community to be a rare but deadly outcome of influenza infection. Although he had received his influenza vaccination in prior seasons, Leon died in the days before he was scheduled to receive his annual flu shot at a pediatrician visit. Had Leon received his flu shot in the 2017 season, his risk for developing and dying from this deadly complication of influenza would have been greatly reduced.